Maria Carondolette and the Invictus Wand
by PurpleFiligree
Summary: When Maria receives a letter by owl and finds out her parents are a witch and wizard, and she finds her life flipped up-side-down. F Follow Maria as she becomes the kind of character she only read about! (OC, Canon, AU, Nicholas Flamel & Harry Potter indirectly.)
1. Salem

Salem

Maria had always been a bit different from other children. While other children liked to go outside and play, ride their bikes, or in general be kids, Maria liked to sit in her room and read books, often day dreaming on what it would be like to live in such a world. Often, she would get into trouble for not paying attention in school. She didn't have many friends at school, and mostly kept to herself. Maria had no brothers or sisters; being an only child, so most of the time she was left alone to her own devices. But there was something else that was a little bit different. Maria could do things that were baffling to the normal human being. If Maria wanted something, it would come floating to her. She also had a strange attraction to animals, owls mostly. They always seemed to watch her carefully. Her parents thought it was normal and accepted her, no matter what weird things she was able to do.

Maria was a very slight girl for her age. Very small, so it wasn't any surprise she was picked on. She had mousey brown hair, and thick black glasses she was constantly pushing up on her nose. Despite her quiet and shy disposition, she was very sweet, and caring. She loved to help others when she could.

It was the middle of summer vacation. She would be starting middle school the next school year and leaving her primary school behind. Her mother and she had already gone school shopping for the up-coming semester in the following four weeks. But for Maria, today was a special day; July 31st, her birthday. She was turning eleven, and they were to travel to Boston. Maria couldn't sleep the night before. She was too excited about the day ahead to sleep. As she showered and got ready for the day, she barely noticed the owl that flew by her window. She was so used to it, she didn't notice anymore. Maria then bounded down the stairs her home, and into the kitchen.

"Good morning momma!" Maria said as she sat at the breakfast table. Her mother had made her favorite breakfast; blueberry pancakes, bacon, and orange juice. Loading her plate full of fluffy steaming pancakes, crispy bacon, and a large glass of orange juice, she dug in and ate to her hearts content.

"Are you excited about today, my dear?" Lydia Carondolette asked as she watched her daughter devour her breakfast. She could barely believe her little Maria was eleven today. It seemed just like yesterday that she was in her diaper and toddling around the living room with her favorite yellow stuffed rabbit, giggling, and getting into things.

"I am so excited; I can't wait to go to Boston!" Maria exclaimed through a mouth full of blueberry syrupy awesomeness.

"Maria, don't talk with your mouth full, how many times do I need to tell you?" Her mother chastised while unloading more pancakes onto the serving plate, and turning off the burner to the stove. Maria swallowed and apologized to her mother, when her father walked in.

"Maria, don't worry about her! It's your special day, bug, you do what you want." Marcus Carondolette exclaimed as he poured himself some orange juice. "Marcus! Just because it's her birthday, doesn't mean that excuses her manners!" Lydia exclaimed as she sat at the table with her coffee. Maria just sat and watched her parents with a smile on her face, as she finished her breakfast. She then gathered her dishes put them in the dishwasher, kissed her parents on their cheeks.

"I'm going upstairs to get ready. " Maria exclaimed as she headed upstairs two stairs at a time. Maria packed her bag with a few odds and ends things to take with her, such as a book to read on the way to Boston, her camera, and some money she had saved. She headed back downstairs, and bounced back into the kitchen, as her mother was finishing cleaning up the kitchen.

"All ready to go, bug?" Her father asked as he finished his orange juice. For a mere 32, He had tousled brown hair with no gray and stood about six-foot, with blue eyes. Her mother on the other hand, had auburn hair that rested gently on her shoulders, with green eyes. Maria looked more like her father, but had her mother's green eyes.

Once the family made it to the car, with the house all locked up, they made their way to Boston. Maria was too excited to read, and she jabbered on about how they were going out for lunch, to see some historical something or other, and see many other interesting things. One the way, they stopped for ice cream. While they sat out to eat, Maria's father noticed something peculiar; an owl in the middle of the day. It sat and watched the three of them as they enjoyed their ice cream, before flying off, as if it were watching them purposely.

"Where can we go first, dad?" Maria asked, breaking her father's thought of the peculiar owl. "Oh, I don't know. How about… we go to Quincy market?" Maria squealed with joy. She had always wanted to visit the market, but her parents never allowed it in fear of losing her among the many people that flock there in the summer time. Quincy market was a cluster of old buildings with dozens of shops and different vendors that would sell their unique products. There were also street performers, along with different carts for different things. Many of the buildings were built in the early 1820's and very old.

They headed down the road once more and finally into Boston. They eventually found parking around the Market, and headed in. Maria couldn't believe her eyes, and how many people were there. She failed to notice the owl her father discovered earlier, because she was so distracted by the many wonderful smells, and sights.

Overall, it was a very exhausting day. Marcus, Lydia, and Maria spent the entire day at the market. On the drive home, Maria fell asleep, from so much excitement. Her father allowed her to buy one thing from the market with her own money, and she bought a small gold necklace, with a gold ball charm that had wings. She didn't know what it was, but she thought it was absolutely lovely. She had put it on immediately. What she didn't realize, was once she put the necklace on, a very peculiar thing happened with the tiny gold ball with wings. It had fluttered slightly.

Meanwhile as Maria slept in the backseat, her father noticed a movement alongside the car. "Lydia." He said quietly, as to not disturb his daughter as she slept. "I saw that same exact owl earlier today on the way to the market. Do you think it's a school owl?" Marcus asked his wife.

"It might be… she'll probably get her letter tomorrow, and to think we haven't told her anything."

They rode in silence the rest of the way home. By the time they arrived, the owl had disappeared and they saw nothing of it for the rest of the night. Marcus carried Maria up to her room and into bed.

Maria dreamt that night. She dreamt about the small golden ball with wings, as it flew about her head. She tried to catch it but it was too fast. She heard someone say something about a snitch, and somehow she realized she was on… a broom? She was flying on a broom? As Maria dreamt about the snitch and being on the broom, she somehow realized she was supposed to chase the flying orb, and try to catch it before someone else did. She gave chase, and just as she was about to wrap her hands around the little ball…. She awoke, forgetting the dream. It was morning, the day after her birthday, and it all came rushing back to her; the market, the necklace.

Maria got out of bed and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. Lydia had already made breakfast – eggs and toast – and Maria was just about to help herself to some toast when there peck at the kitchen window. She looked up and there was an owl sitting on the outside sill, with an envelope in its beak. Curiously, Maria opened the window, and took the envelope, and watched the owl fly off. She looked down, and with some surprise, saw that the envelope was addressed to her.

"What's that, Maria?" Lydia asked as she sat at the table.

"It's a letter addressed to me."

Just then there was a knock on the front door. Maria heard her father open the door, and sounded very excited. As Maria and her mother entered the room, her father was hugging the man that was standing in the door way. It seemed Lydia recognized the man as well, as she went and welcomed him to their home.

"Maria, this is Andrew Parris. He was an old school friend of mine and your mother's."

Maria hid behind her father, muttering a small hello. She didn't like strangers.

"What are you doing here Andrew? It's not like you to turn up unannounced." Lydia asked as she took his coat.

"Well, I'm surprised you haven't guessed. It is the day after Maria's eleventh birthday, isn't it?" The man asked.

"You mean you work for the school now?" Marcus asked. "Come you must be hungry, we can talk about this at the breakfast table." Everyone made their way to the kitchen, and Lydia sat another place at the table. Meanwhile Maria studied the strange man that say across from her at the table. She noted he had very dark hair, and wore some kind of robe that was very long and black, with a purple vest, and tie. He seemed a very stately man.

"Maria, we have some things we need to discuss with you." Lydia said as she sat down next her daughter. "In fact, you know the letter you got this morning? It has everything to do with that."

"Okay…" Maria wasn't sure what she had done, or even that she was in trouble for something.

"Your mother, our guest, and I went to a very different school. One for…" Marcus paused as he searched for the right word. "One for gifted people."

"You mean college?" Maria asked curiously.

"No," Her mother laughed, "this was before college. Your father and I met at this school when we were your age. We were in the same grade with our friend, Mr. Parris. Why don't you open your letter, and we'll explain from there."

Maria turned the envelope over that had been sitting on the table, and broke the wax seal from the paper, and slid out the contents inside.

_"Crowmist School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Headmaster Sirius Ardungus_

_(Order of Merlin First class)_

_Dear Ms. Carondolette,_

_We cordially invite you to attend Crowmist School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Enclosed you will find a list of supplies needed for next term._

_Term starts on September 1__st__. We will await your reply no later than August 12__th__._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_Miranda Rouse_

_Deputy Headmistress"_

What…?" Maria was speechless. Was this some sort of cruel prank her parents were playing on her? Overall she was very confused, and it showed on her face as she looked at the three adults sitting before her.

"My god, you guys didn't tell her she's a witch?" Andrew spoke up finally.

"We thought it best we didn't, being we wanted her to go to a public school until she was eleven." Marcus explained. "We wanted her to have a good education, but not use her gift on others."

"I can't be a witch. They aren't real. They only exist in fantasy and in books. There's no way." Maria finally said when she found her voice. She had never seen her parents do anything magical. "None of you are funny. I can't believe you would play a bad joke on me." Maria burst into tears. She was heartbroken her parents would do such a thing. To her, they were as bad as the kids at school. She had become sensitive in such a way that even the smallest things hurt her feelings.

"Maria…" Lydia tried to hug her daughter, but Maria pushed her away and ran from the room before anyone could explain anything to her. "I'll go talk to her." Lydia went after her daughter, and up to her room where she had gone to hide. Lydia found her curled up in her bed, crying into a pillow.

"Maria."

"GO AWAY." Maria sobbed.

"Maria." Lydia said more firmly. "Maria, you look at me this instant." Maria stayed where she was, still crying. Lydia pulled out her wand she kept hidden in a special pocket in her sleeve.

"Accio Pillow." She demanded. The pillow dislodged itself from Maria's grip and Lydia caught the pillow in one hand. Maria immediately stopped crying and looked at her mother absolutely astonished. She was too shocked to keep crying, although tears still streamed down her face. Lydia sat on the bed next to her daughter.

"Maria, you are very special. I know you read lots of books. And I also know how you wish you could be with those characters in those books. I see how you engross yourself into your fairy tales with witches and knights. Let me tell you, none of those books are as real as this is right now. This is very real, bug. You are one of those characters in your book. You just didn't know it."

It was true; Maria often wished she could be like the characters in her books. They were so brave and could do so many amazing things. She wanted to go to faraway lands, and fight trolls, and giants; save magical kingdoms from dragons. She wanted be able to do magic, and fight dark wizards.

"Y..you're not lying, then?" Maria questioned, with tear-stained cheeks and a runny nose.

"No bug. Why don't you come back downstairs and we'll explain everything, okay?" Maria nodded and followed her mother downstairs where her father and Mr. Parris were waiting.

"There are my girls." Marcus exclaimed as they re-entered the room and sat back at the table. "Everything sorted out?"

"Yes, Marcus. Now, let's explain things to Maria, she's very confused." Lydia said as she resumed her place beside her husband.

"Maria, your mother and I went to a different school. It's not a public school, as it's very special. It's only for witches and wizards. You see, when we reach the age of eleven, we are invited to attend this school. We – your mother Andrew and I – have already attended school, and now it's your turn."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Maria asked. She had never seen her parents use magic a day in her life. "Why didn't you use magic?"

"We wanted you to know what it's like to have a normal childhood a muggle has—"

"What's a muggle?"

"A muggle is a non-magical person; someone who can't use magic like we can. You see, there have been witches and wizards since the beginning of time, when man first roamed the earth. We used to live in harmony with muggles, until they started to develop religions, and then we were ostracized for our abilities. We – wizards and witches – went into hiding and have been keeping our existence a secret ever since. There are very few muggles that know of our existence, and we like to keep it that way." Andrew explained. "So you can't tell anyone, okay?" Maria nodded. Who was she going to tell? Mandy, her only friend from school, but even then she can't keep secrets.

There was a brief silence for a time, before it was broken by Marcus.

"What brings you here, Andrew? I guess you work for Crowmist these days?"

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I would drop in for a bit. I wasn't expecting this kind of visit though. I guess I could explain to Maria what Crowmist is."

"What is it?" Maria wondered; she was very curious about the school.

"Crowmist is a boarding school in North Carolina. It's only for witches and wizards. You only attend for seven years, and then you graduate. I'm one of the many professors in the school."

"What do you teach?" Maria asked. She was warming up to the man in front of her as he explained more and more of her new life.

"I teach transfiguration, or the ability to transform objects into different objects. Let me show you." Andrew drew out his wand, and tapped the milk jug in front of Maria. She watched in awe as it transformed into a real miniature figurine sized horse. It trotted around the table and whinnied. Andrew then tapped the horse very gently, and it transformed back into a jug of milk. "I am also an Animagus. I can transform into an animal at will."

"Can you do that too, mom?" Maria asked. She pondered the abilities her parents had to those of Mr. Parris. They did go to the same school, after all.

"No, I can't turn into an animal, but I can do many other wonderful things, and so can your father."

"Will you tell me more about the school?"

"Actually, I think we'll let you figure that one out for yourself, Maria. It's not really something that can be explained. You have to experience it to really get the majesty of it. I will let you know it's wonderful. You'll make lots of new friends, and you'll be happy there." Maria didn't answer right away, as she speculated what things would be like once she went away to school. She really didn't like the idea of leaving her parents for nine months to North Carolina.

"Is there a library?"

"Yes, a massive one. With all the books you could ever read." Marcus answered, delighting Maria more than he could even fathom.

For the next hour, Maria fired questions and received answers about how magic works, what the school is like, and what her parents could do. They demonstrated many things to Maria, as she watched in awe. Eventually though, it was time for Andrew Parris to be on his way.

"Well, I'm off. I have school business to take care of; a muggle family needs my assistance in telling them about their magical child. I bet you can only imagine what that's going to be like, eh, Marcus?" Andrew said as he draped his coat over his arm. It had been a chilly morning.

"All too well, my friend. You take care. We'll see you in about two weeks then?"

"Yeah, we have to take Maria to get her things from Arcane Avenue to get her school supplies, and I'll meet you there. We can make a day of it! See you then, Marcus, It was nice to see you again Lydia."

Everyone said their goodbyes and with a loud audible crack, Andrew Parris disappeared into thin air.

* * *

Author's Note:

I wanted to let you know I poured myself into the character of Maria. It's almost as if she is a living embodiment of me, and probably many of you. Not to say you were picked on in school, but I bet many of you wished you could be the characters in the stories read, especially harry potter. I'm proud to say I'm still waiting on my letter from Hogwarts that will never come. In this story, the girl who thought she could never could be in her books gets the chance to be that character. She gets to go on the adventure that all of us dream of going on. I hope you stick with her, and go on the journey with Maria as she grows, like you did with Harry, and let her be the character you always wished you could be.

Please, read and review, and let me know the things that need fixing! Next is the revision of chapter 2!


	2. Words and Wands

Wands and Words

It had been almost two weeks since the Carondolette's had heard from Andrew Parris. Maria had read and re-read the letter from Crowmist over and over. She still couldn't believe it to be real; a witch? Maria often pondered what it would be like at school. She had also gone over her supplies list for attending school. She was in need of

Uniform  
• Three – five sets of work robes (Dark Purple with school crest)  
• One plain pointed hat (Black)  
• One pair of Protective gloves (leather or similar)  
• One winter cloak (black with amethyst fastenings)  
_Please note, that all first year students robes will be changed to_  
_the appropriate house color once sorted into their houses upon arrival._

Books  
• _The Beginners Guide to Spells Level 1_ by Nort Bermen  
• _The History of Magic in the United States_ by Simplicity Larson  
• t_he Standard Beginners Guide to Transfiguration_ by Morgan Freeman  
• _Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling  
• _Entry Level Potions_ by Argus Millfonse  
• _Magical Beasts and Where to find them_ by Newt Scamander  
• _Dark Magic: A guide for Self Protection_ by Marshall Maverick

Other Equipment  
• 1 Wand  
• 1 Cauldron (Pewter – standard size 2)  
• 1 set of glass or crystal phials  
• 1 telescope (brass)  
• 1 set of scales (brass)  
• Students may also bring one pet; A cat, an owl, or a rat. No other animals are permitted.

To Maria, it seemed her supply list was something you would see in a children's book or a movie; it was made up of things you only heard of, but never thought to be real. A wand? A cauldron? Everything still seemed so fantasy-like. Maria often wondered what else was real that she had been taught didn't exist. Fairies? Mermaids? It was almost like her childhood fantasies came to life before her very eyes. In a very real case, it had. Today was the day though, where she would be finally introduced into the world she had been told about. Today she was to go shopping for her supplies, and meet other wizards and witches her age. Maybe she might recognize some of them, although she doubted it very highly. Because of the history of her home town, those of the wizard community might not be very welcomed. All though the Salem Witch Trials were about 300 years before her time. She had learned of the trials in school, and how twenty different people were prosecuted and tried for witchcraft. It started off with two girls having epileptic fits which spread to other young women in the village, the same age. The victims had said they were picked with pins and pinched by those who practiced witch craft. Thus, the trials began and lasted just a little over a year. But, now that Maria thought of the trials, she began to wonder if they really were witches and wizards.

It was the day that Maria and her parents were to meet Mr. Parris at Bunker Hill in Boston. She grabbed her remaining money from shopping on her birthday, and headed downstairs to where her mother and father were waiting. The three of them headed out the door, and made their way to the city, where her parent's friend waited. Maria had constantly grilled her parents about being a wizard and witch. Life for the three family had changed drastically. Her mother and father took to using magic in front of Maria, and she continued to be astonished by it.

The Carondolette's arrived at the Memorial ahead of schedule. They sat on a bench beside the memorial and watched the people silently.

"I assume you found the place alright." said a voice from behind them. They turned and there stood Andrew Parris.

"Yes, we found the place just fine, Andrew. How could we not?"

"Hello Maria, ready to start your new life?"

"Hi, Andrew, yes, I am, I am very excited." Maria replied. She was so excited in fact, that she had a hard time containing it. Maria bounced up and pulled on the hands of her parents to get them off the bench.

"Alright, shall we be going then?" Andrew asked, smiling as he watched Maria get her parents in gear.

Everyone started off into the fields beyond the memorial. Maria could have sworn there were buildings in this area. It took about twenty minutes to reach an old knotty tree on top of a hill. Andrew pulled out his wand, and Maria watched him curiously as he used his wand and did some sort of incantation under his breath, and tapped the tree. All of the sudden to their left a trap door like opening appeared in the ground. Andrew opened the door and made his way down the stairs and then walking along the dark passage just beyond it. Maria, Marcus and Lydia entered the doorway, and to Maria's surprise, to find a very spacious passage built with brick, with a dirt floor. It wasn't too terribly dark, as there were floating candles that hovered above their heads, illuminating the way along the path for about 5 minutes before the path came to a slight incline, and then a dead-end.

"Now, let's see. What was that password… oh that's right, _Uniatur nobis seiuncti declinemus_." Andrew tapped the dead end wall three times and then stepped back. The wall slowly started to sink into the ground revealing a town beyond it. The town was made up of different shops and had an almost colonial feel. All the buildings were made of brick and mortar of different colors, almost like they were built by the masons of the 18th century. Among these shops are many different people, dressed in different color robes. Maria stared in disbelief. She stood rooted to the ground as her eyes passed over the many shops and quirkily dressed people as they filtered in and out of shops with peculiar items.

"Right, first things first, we need to head to the Depository and get you enough money for your supplies. "Andrew announced as he trotted off down the street with Maria, Marcus and Lydia in tow. The four of them passed different shops and people, and Maria was speechless.

"Maria, stop staring, it's rude." Lydia chastised her daughter as she trudged on through the small town. Maria redirected her attention to Andrew, where he had stopped in front a very tall, white building, the doorway was framed in black marble, and the door was massive. It seemed to be very heavy, but upon pushing it open, it was very light. The four filled into the building. The sight was tremendous. The cathedral ceilings were accented with gold inlays, the columns leading to the ceiling made of marble. The room itself was very long, with slate floors, and lined with different tellers stations. Each station was lined with brass, with dark granite counter tops, on a mahogany base. The teller's themselves were goblins, much to the muggles surprise. The four of them approached a teller, and waited for the goblin behind the counter to put his quill down.

"Ahem." Andrew cleared his throat to get the goblin's attention.

"A moment." The goblin grunted. Maria noticed he was wearing a tag that said 'Gripnok'. The goblin put his quill down after a brief moment of uncomfortable silence, and stared at the group. "Well speak up."

"I need to access my vault." Marcus said to the goblin behind the station.

"Name?" The goblin Gripnok sneered as he looked them up and down. "I assume your spawn is attending Crowmist? First year?" the goblin turned to Marcus.

"Marcus Carondolette. Shut up and take my key." Marcus scoffed as he produced a silver key from his pocket, which the goblin snatched from his hand and examined the key, before coming out from behind the station. "Follow me." To Maria's astonishment, the goblin was quite short, and it kind of hobbled across the slated floors, with the wizards and witches in tow, and through a door at the end of the room.

Behind the door contained a dark deep dank cavern, with a cart on what looked like a roller coaster cart, on a roller coaster track. Everyone piled into the cart behind a second goblin that controlled the cart.

"Vault 358." Gripnok commanded to the other goblin that just grunted. With a sudden jerk, they were off, and Maria screamed. She had never been on a roller-coaster as they zoomed around sharp curves and up and down hills deeper into the cavern. All the sudden they went beneath a waterfall, and were drenched. They all soon dried out though, as the cart speeded down the track. For the most part it was very dark, and Maria was unaware of how they could tell where they were going. The only time it wasn't dark was when she shockingly saw the occasional dragon breathing fire. As suddenly they had started the ride, it came to an end and they stopped abruptly outside a very large stone door with a silver plate that read 358. Gripnok along with Marcus piled out of the cart. The goblin went to the vault, put the key in and turned it. There was a series of clicks as the tumblers shifted. Finally there was a loud thunk.

The vault swung open and inside under a singular light, was a small hill of gold that sat in the very middle. Marcus went inside and filled a bag with gold, silver, and bronze coins before re-emerging and getting back into the cart. They all then took off back to the higher levels of the bank.

Once back outside on the street, Marcus and Lydia explained what the coins were. "The gold ones are called Galleons, the silver are Sickles, and the bronze are Knuts. There are 17 sickles to a galleon, and 493 Knuts to a Galleon. There are also 29 Knuts to a Sickle. Understand?"

"I think so."

"Now that the money issue is taken care of, where do we head off first?" Lydia asked, looking around to the many different stores.

"That's up to you. If you like, Maria could get fitted for her robes, while we gather her other supplies." Andrew suggested.

"That would work." Maria said excitedly. She couldn't wait to feel like a real witch. They headed down the street a little ways before stopping outside a shop named _Fashion and Flourish: Robes for All Occasions. _Marcus gave Maria what seemed like the right amount of galleons before she entered the shop on her own.

Maria was instantly greeted by a very flamboyant wizard, dressed head to toe in pink. The shop was decorated with different spools of this and that fabric, and the window had different colored robes displayed on mannequins that moved.

"Hello my love, oh what beautiful hair you have. Tell me, what's your name?" The wizard asked, as Maria watched her parents stroll out of view from the window.

"Oh… Thank you. My name is Maria…Maria Carondolette" She replied politely. "I'm here to get my robes for school."

"Ohh, starting Crowmist are we? Wonderful school, Crowmist is. I went there myself when I was a young wizard. Ahh, Bobby Hatfield was such a looker! Come with me, missy Maria, and stand up on this podium so I can get your sizes. That's a girl." The wizard helped Maria onto the podium, and then introduced himself, "I'm Marlin Styner, and I own this little shop. Now you stay here for a sec, and I'll go get my measuring tape."

While the shop owner went to get his measuring tape, Maria casually looked around and to her surprise noticed another young person about her age.

"Hello." Maria said to the other person in the room. "I'm Maria."

"Hi…" Said the other young person looking Maria up and down. "You aren't a pure-blood, are you…?" They asked. The person, or boy, in question had short, black hair, and green eyes. He was a tad bit taller than Maria – by probably a couple inches – and had a very pointed face.

"I… I'm not sure. I think I am…"

"I'm Carmine Jogthorpe and I'm a pure-blood. Are you starting Crowmist, too?" He asked almost superiorly.

"I am. I'm very excited!" Maria replied. "Maybe we could be friends at school?"

"Maybe." Just then the shop owner returned to the two young people and started measuring Maria for her robes along with the other necessary garments to accompany them, often switching between the two first-years as he babbled on about this and that. Soon after all the measuring was done, Maria was sent on her way with 10 galleons less, and 5 sets of dark purple robes, sweater vests, white shirts, black skirts, shoes, and socks, and a black pointed hat. She strolled down the road looking for her parents. She took in all the sights of the small wizarding village, and the many different places she could visit. After about half an hour, Maria found her mother and father with Andrew outside the wand shop named _Magical Mahogany Wand Emporium._ They seemed to have a pewter cauldron full of books, and other assorted items that Maria was in need of for school.

"Ready to get your wand, Maria?" Lydia asked with a smile. She knew this was the best part of the whole trip, as it was her favorite when she was her daughter's age. The four entered the shop and Maria was overwhelmed with the very organized walls of boxes. The shop in question seemed dark and dingy, but somehow it had a cheery feel to it, with pink and purple accents about the shop. She turned her attention to a woman sitting behind a desk set in the middle of the room, which looked up and noticed the quartet. "ahh Andrew Parris. How nice of you to come in with another new student. What's your name my dear?"

"Hello Mildred." Andrew replied with a smile.

"Maria… hello." She timidly, peering out from behind her mother and father at the older lady behind the desk. The woman in question was about 70-80, plump and short. She had curly, short white hair, and spectacles that looked like they were from the early 80's. She seemed merry enough, and had a wrinkled smile that could light up a room. Her light blue eyes seemed to dance with laughter.

"Come out from behind there, dear, c'mon, don't be shy, I won't bite, I promise. Now there's a sweetie. Now, miss Maria, is it? What can I do for you? Do you need a wand for school? You're a First year, if I'm correct? I can see you're timid at first, kind of an introvert, but loyal until the end." The woman named Mildred tottled out from behind the desk, and browsed one of the walls of boxes before choosing one and bringing it over, and setting it on the desk. "This one is Mahogany with a veela hair core, and its 11in long. Come over here and give it a wave sweetie." Maria approached the woman with the wand and picked it up out of the box, and pointed it at one of the trinkets on the woman's desk, making it explode.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" Maria apologized profusely as she quickly put the wand back in the box. Maria's parents kind of sniggered, and she gave them a dirty look, making them snigger more.

Mildred took the box and put it back on the shelf. "It's alright; it just means that wand isn't for you. I wasn't particularly fond of that figurine, anyway. It was given to me by my cousin Myrtle. Here, dear, let's try this one." She brought back another wand to Maria, and opened it, inside was another wand. "This one is made of rosewood, with a dragon heartstring core, and its 101/2in. give it a try, sweetie." Mildred replied with a smile. Maria took the wand and tapped a dingy old looking book sitting on the desk, and watched it completely shred itself. This wand was obviously not meant for Maria either.

After about ten different trial and errors, Mildred put the wand process on pause. "I think she might be the special case…." Maria looked at Mildred, to Andrew, her parents, and then back at Mildred.

"A special case?" Maria asked curiously. What could they be referring to about her being a special case? Was she magically-challenged or something?

"You may be correct, Mildred, but we won't know until we try." Marcus replied. Mildred then hobbled into the back room for no more than a minute, while the rest stood in silence until she reappeared with a silver box. She set it on the desk, and opened it up to reveal a cream colored wand with silver accents and whimsical filigree carved into the wood, set in a gold lined box. "This is Silver Lime wood, with a dittany stalk core, and it's about 111/2in. in length. Go ahead, give it a try."

Maria gently picked the wand up, and immediately it started to glow. Maria could feel a surge of power course through her body, and as if she was floating. She _was_ floating. Her feet left the ground and a silver mist sprouted from the wand, and around her, surrounding her tiny floating body, before slowly and gently putting her back on to the floor. The mysterious wand had chosen her. Her parents, Andrew, and Mildred watched in awe as Maria floated and then touched ground again. Marcus, Lydia, and Andrew could hardly believe their eyes. They had just witnessed something very rare.

"Very interesting." Mildred muttered to herself, as Maria set the wand back into the box, and put the lid back on.

"Excuse me, but why is it so interesting?" Maria asked, as Mildred wrapped the box and calculated the purchase price. There was brief silence as Mildred contemplated her reply carefully.

"The wand chooses the wizard or witch, Maria. It is very rare that such a powerful wand chooses such a novice in magic. Silver Lime and dittany are known to be undefeatable to any wizard or witch that wields it, but it's a much unknown fact. The wand maker Ollivander of Diagon Alley isn't even knowledgeable of this combination. Ollivander is the wand maker that forged the wand of He-who-must-not-be-named, along with the wand of the boy who lived, Harry Potter. Your wand is considered undefeatable, but only one wand is cast, and only one wand is available every 200 or so years. The wand in the possession of the late wizard or witch is destroyed by dragon fire. Once that wand is destroyed, then another wand of this wood and core is made and kept in an unknown location until someone, like you, becomes the master of the wand, is chosen. You are a very unique witch, Maria, never forget that. And whatever you do, never let any other witch or wizard take possession of your wand. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am; I understand." Maria said solemn and seriously.

"Now your total will be 12 galleons. Would you like a bag?" Mildred stated sweetly as she pushed her glasses up on her nose.

"Yes, please." Maria dug around in her coin purse and pulled out the precise amount and handed it to the shop owner, as Mildred gently put Maria's new wand in a bag and handed it over in exchange for the money. Everyone said their goodbyes and they exited the shop.

Maria was quiet for the rest of the afternoon, partially to thought, and partially to the fact that Andrew babbled on and on as Maria thought more of her wand and why it meant she was such a special case. Was she really that powerful, and now, even as a novice, undefeatable? And who was this he-who-must-not-be-named and this kid named Harry Potter?

"Maria? Hello, are you there?" Maria was jostled out of her thoughts and back into the real world.

"Yeah? What's up?" she said as she wondered who had mentioned her name.

"Would you like to know where you need to go to get to school?" Andrew asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, sure. Where do we need to go?"

"The Beverly Pier in Salem. You're taking a ship to school. It's been the way for hundreds of years, even before the revolutionary war, on a full rigged ship. Crowmist is absolutely gorgeous when you arrive, as the school is all lit up, and you can see it for miles… at least wizards can, anyway. The school is surrounded in spells to keep muggles out. To them, there is nothing there, and they can pass through the area as they wish without encountering a single soul. The school itself sits on a rock. I'm not going to spoil the surprise of what the school looks like, but you are in for a real treat."

Maria finally realized her surroundings and noticed that they were back at the base of the tree, where they had first entered the passage to Arcane Avenue. Maria didn't even remember walking the dimly lit passage, until they were at the end of it. 20 minutes later, they were back to their car and headed home. Maria kept her wand very close to her all the way there, and upon arriving, it was put into her suitcase, that she had planned on taking with her to Crowmist, safe and sound.

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Author's Note: I wanted to let you know that I modeled the wand maker after a person I know in life. she really is like the character in the story, and very sweet. the character is so much like her, that I decided to keep the name. Mildred, this chapter is for you!

Remember, Read and Review! **I like constructive criticism!**


	3. Crowmist

Author's Note:

The name Siobhan is pronounced Shiv-on, Aislinn is pronounced Ash-lynn, and Brannagh is pronounced Brah-na. All three names are of Irish origin. I know there are a lot of similarities to Harry Potter, and I am trying what I can to stray away from the HP story line. I really hope you like the new chapter!

As for the reviews I've had, thank you so much! I appreciate them more than you could ever realize, and I have tried to fix the things that you pointed out. Please continue to review me, and give me the criticism I need!

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Crowmist

The days passed by as the new term at Crowmist loomed closer. With each day, Maria grew more and more nervous of attending the school. There were a lot of preparations yet to take place, and Maria wasn't near ready to leave. She would miss home, and her parents.

Finally though, the day arrived and they had an unexpected visit from Andrew. When he arrived at the Carondolette home, he held a carrier of some kind.

"What's in the carrier, Andrew?" Maria asked as she brought an old battered trunk downstairs and into the breeze-way. She was wearing her school uniform; which consisted of a nice black sweater vest, with an amethyst colored blouse, a black, dark purple, and amethyst bowtie, and a long black skirt with dark purple knee high socks, and black loafers.

"Maria, let me fix the suitcase for you." He pulled out his wand and tapped the old battered trunk, which turned into a leather cream colored trunk, with dark purple and amethyst filigree, and silver toned fastenings and straps. On the top, Maria's name had been imprinted on the trunk in cursive. The trunk looked strangely familiar…like Maria's wand that had been nestled down at the bottom of the trunk, where it was safe.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Maria, this is for you." Andrew then handed Maria the carrier and upon her opening it, a calico kitten with purple eyes and a bow around its neck. mewed up at her as if to say hello.

"Oh… look mom, she's so cute!" Maria coaxed the kitten from the carrier and hugged it close to her chest, petting her gently. The kitten immediately started purring and nestling itself into Maria's long hair.

"Thank you so much Andrew!" Maria's mother exclaimed, scratching the little kitten's head.

"what are you going to name it, bug?" Marcus asked, as he brought down Maria's traveling bag so it could go in the trunk of the car.

Maria thought for a moment, of what a good name was for a kitten. She supposed her new kitten would probably be trying to catch mice at school. "Pounce."

"Pounce… it's a good name. Alright, now let's get your things into the car, and be on our way. We don't want to miss your grand voyage out on the sea." Andrew said as he picked up the trunk and hauled it out the door and to the car's trunk, while Maria carried Pounce in her new carrier, and into the car beside her. "I'll meet you at the school, Maria." Andrew apparated – Maria now knew – with a loud crack.

After everyone – and kitten – piled into the car they set off for Beverly Pier on the other side of Salem. There wasn't much traffic, due to schools in the area already starting, so coming and going was a pretty easy feat. As they pulled into the parking lot and pulled into one of the many empty spaces, they noticed how peculiar that the pier was completely desertedAfter unloading the trunk and Pounce, they stood at the end of the pier.

"Okay, so now is the easy part. Getting to the ship. I'm going to show you how to do this, Maria, because I won't be here to help you next year. So watch carefully." Marcus stated. Maria watched him meticulously, and watched his every move. He pulled his wand out, and tapped the post on the pier in a certain spot. To the left, a cart appeared for the trunk to be put on, along with any other possessions. "Push the cart off the end of the pier." Her father said, then jumped off the end of the pier. Maria rushed to the edge and he wasn't anywhere to be found. There had been no splash, and the cold water gently lapped against the supports of the poles.

Maria took hold of the cart, and nervously ran off the end of the pier. Nothing happened. She just found herself running, and she didn't hit water, as she was still on the dock. Maria looked around and saw tons of other wizards and witches around as they said their goodbyes. A ship had appeared also, and Maria stopped running. Just then, her parents appeared beside her

"Good job. Now you see the ship? We need to get your possessions on it. I'll take care of it, you just say goodbye to your mother." Marcus stated as he lifted her trunk with a spell and directed it in midair to the gangplank and up onto the ship in the cargo hold.

Maria surveyed the ship - dubbed the _Milady_ - and all her beauty. She had never really seen something so beautiful. The massive sails billowed slightly with the breeze, and seagulls swooped and coasted the currents of the air at the very top of the masts. It was magnificent. Maria turned to her mom and suddenly felt so sad. She would miss them so much while she was away at Crowmist, and it had never really sunk in until just that moment. She hugged her tight, and started to cry.

"What's wrong, bug? We'll see you at Christmas; you won't be gone all year. Right? What there to cry about? It's okay, I promise." Marcus said as he hugged his tiny daughter as he returned to the two. He knew he was going to miss her, as he held back tears. He couldn't believe his little girl was about to leave to the same school he attened, and wouldn't see her for five months. He knew he had to be strong for his wife and his child. What would they think if he started to cry?

Lydia, on the other hand, let the floodgates open, and tears streamed down her face as she hugged her daughter to her as tight as she could. She would miss this little girl more than anything. It would be so weird to not have her around.

"ALL ABOARD!" someone called from the ship. Students started lining up single file onto the brow to get onto the Galleon. Maria gave her parents another tight squeeze before letting them go. "I'll miss you… I'll write you every day, I promise."

"Goodbye my little bug. Have a safe journey. We love you." Lydia said as Maria started toward the line of students. Her parents watched her until she was out of sight on the ship.

Once on the ship, Maria mingled with the other students and looked over the Port side of the ship at her parents. They were still there, watching and waiting until the ship pulled out of port and made her journey. Maria still didn't know where exactly where she was going; only that she was on her way there, and that destination was the home of Crowmist School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she would spend the next nine months. The boatswain call whistled overhead, once everyone was boarded, signaling the ship was leaving port. There was a sudden wind, and the ship lurched into motion. Maria could smell the salt from the sea, as they traveled down the east coast. She wasn't sure, but she thought the wind had a magical feel to it. They seemed to be moving a little faster than a ship this size would be sailing with a normal northern wind. Maria also noticed there were no deckhands aboard the _Milady_; she seemed to be sailing crew-less. The only people Maria noticed were the other students. Upon further inspection, many of the students wore a different color to her deep purple. Many wore blue, red, green, and yellow. It seemed to be only the students Maria's age that wore the purple.

"Excuse me." Maria said meekly as she approached one of the students in yellow. The student just looked at Maria and went back to the conversation they were having. Maria felt dejected. She was on a boat, with about 500 other people she didn't know, and was completely ignored. Feeling defeated, Maria went to the starboard side of the ship and slumped down against the railing, looking out to sea. Many of the other passengers stood or sat in circles and conversed about their summer events.

Maria wasn't aware how long she had sat against the railing by herself, before being approached by another student in purple.

"Hi…" the student said. Maria looked up and there stood a girl her age, in purple robes. She had straight blonde hair, almond shaped green eyes, and a round face with rosy cheeks. She was about Maria's height and build, maybe a little taller, and had a sort of shy disposition. She seemed to have a hint of an Irish accent when she spoke. It seemed to be that this girl had forced herself to talk to someone.

"Hi." Maria replied with a smile.

"do you know where we're going?" the girl asked as she sort of twiddled her thumbs.

"No idea. My name is Maria, what's yours?" Maria asked. She might as well try to make friends, being that no one else was event attempting to speak to her.

"Siobhan. May I sit with you? Everyone else seems… busy."

"sure, I don't mind Siobhan." Maria replied. "where are you from?"

"Michigan. You?"

"Salem. It must have been a long trip from Michigan. Wow."

"Not really, we apparated, so it was really quick."

"are you a pure-blood or…"

"No, my dad is pure-blood and my mom is a muggle. I happened to get dads magic genes. What about you?"

"I'm… I'm not sure. I just found out I was a witch, although both my parents are magical. I don't really know anything about being a witch, and honestly it's kind of hard. It was a real shock when I got my letter, and my parents explained everything. I didn't expect it, as it happened the day after I turned eleven."

"Wow that sounds terrible. I guess it's better than being a squib." Siobhan replied.

"A what? What's a squib?"

"A squib is a person born into a pure-blood or magical family that has no magic. I know that if I was a squib and all my siblings had magic, along with my parents, and everyone else I knew, I would be very jealous."

"I suppose that would be worse. Do you know any spells or anything yet?"

"No. We aren't allowed to use magic outside of school. That's what my sisters tell me. They go to Crowmist, too."

"Oh, that's cool! I have no siblings." Maria replied. She often wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister. "Did your dad go to Crowmist too?"

"No. he went to some school in England or somewhere. I think it was named Hogwarts. I know my grandfather is Nicholas Flamel; he's a great wizard in England, and very old. My last name is Flamel."

"Mine's Carondolette." Maria smiled at Siobhan, glad she was making friends.

The two girls sat in silence for a while, and enjoyed the weather as they continued to sail south. There was a nice breeze coming from the north, but overall it was very pleasant. The sky was an endless blue for as far as you could see out of sight, and the clouds where just wisps in the salty air, gently moving with the breeze. You could hear the occasional seagull call out as they dipped and dived and caught fish. Really, they weren't sailing to far from shore; since it was always in sight from the port side of the ship. The waves of the ocean lapped against the bow, as they bobbed up and down.

Maria continued to watch the other students aboard the Milady, as they talked and chatted about their summer, and how excited they were to head back to school. Surprisingly, Maria hadn't gotten seasick from the movement of the ship. She rather enjoyed the bobbing up and down. She casually mentioned to Siobhan that she was going to walk the deck, and would be back soon.

As she walked around, she heard a familiar voice, but wasn't able to see the speaker. She knew it to be Andrew's, but she wasn't aware of where he was. Maria wandered toward the voice, and stopped before she was in sight of the man that Andrew was speaking to.

"…I was right. We did find the right one. She's the real deal. I was with her the entire time she was in the shop." Andrew stated.

"What is she supos'd t'do? I'm ain't familiar with the legend, by no means." Said the more gruff gravelly voice; assumingly from the other man.

"Train her, of course. She needs the proper education to fulfill the legend. What do we have to lose?" Andrew countered. "The legend foretold a young girl that defeated the horned beast. The girl had magic, and the beast had demons. They say that this legendary beast is what caused of the disappearance of the lost colony back before Crowmist was founded. You know Crowmist was founded 5 years after the disappearance, where the old town hall was on the island."

"That may be true, Andrew, but will the girl be strong enough fer when the time comes?" The other man said. "Not even your great great great grandfather John White could defeat the beast, and 'e was a pure-blood."

Maria's jaw dropped. They had been talking about her. She was part of a legend? How could that be? She was just an ordinary girl that was good at reading. She wasn't some kind of legendary figure, for sure. And what was this beast they were talking about. Maria listened a little closer to what they two men were discussing.

"I know Skip, but he also didn't have the Invictus wand."

"So she 'as it then? It chose 'er? My lord, she might be able to do it after all. Save the school and all the wizards 'ere in the States. England 'as it cut out fer them though. That Potter boy starts school this year also; First year at Hogwarts I'm told. They 'ad a hard time gettin' 'im away from that family o' his, the Muggles? They didn't want it to be true that he could use magic like 'is parents did; too bad that they were murdered though by you-know-who. No one has heard from 'im since 'e tried to kill the Potter boy 'leven years ago after 'e did in 'is parents. Last I heard 'e was lookin' fer followers in the woods of Albania, though tis only speculations."

Maria turned and went as fast as she could. She returned to where she has left Siobhan, who was conversing with two other girls from the school, one wearing yellow, and the other wearing red.

"Oh, there you are, Maria! These are my sisters; Aislinn is in the red, and Brannagh in the Yellow."

"Hello, I'm Maria. It's nice to meet you!" she said cheerily. The two older girls said hello, and then continued to talk with their sister before giving her some galleons and leaving. Maria didn't know if she should tell Siobhan what she had overheard having just met her, besides she didn't even know if they were going to be in the same house. Maria decided to keep the information to herself, and tell Siobhan if they ended up in the same house as each other. Besides, she didn't even know how to make heads or tails of it, if anything. Maybe it was just a rumor. And why did she keep hearing about this Harry Potter kid? Was he really that important that someone had tried to kill him? Maria pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, when she noticed a small cart of food being pushed by a little old woman. Maria hadn't realized, but she was absolutely starving, considering she had a very small breakfast. Once the small cart had arrived at the two girls, they noticed that it was made up of different kind of candies, both muggle and wizard. Maria immediately spotted her favorite; Twix bars. She bought a couple of them, along with wider assortment of wizard candy that she never even considered to exist. Siobhan explained what each of the candies was, and they tried them together. Maria was very surprised when she realized that the chocolate frogs were enchanted, being that it had hopped right out of her hand and across the deck, then off the boat into the water below.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans?" Maria questioned Siobhan, "Flavored with… what?"

"Oh, things like earwax and dirt. There are also some pretty good ones, like orange sherbet and maple syrup, though. It's fun to eat them and figure out which ones are which." Maria opened the box and picked a nice blue one and popped it in her mouth. She immediately spit it out.

"What flavor was it?" Siobhan questioned with a grin.

"Tasted like… mouth wash." Maria giggled. She then tried another bean, but this one was a bit more pleasant. "Mmm, raspberry lemon!" The girls spent the afternoon picking through jellybeans before the whistled signaled that it was time to go below deck as the evening air began to cool around them. They headed below deck and settled in the gallery, between two ribs of the ship. It was quite warm with all the bodies inhibiting the area for the time being. Maria wasn't sure how long they stayed down below.

There was a whistle and a deckhand came down to announce that the other students were to disembark on dry land. The first years were to stay aboard. It took about half an hour for the older students to leave the ship and for all the cargo below decks in the hull to be unloaded before the ship suddenly shrank to a smaller size, just big enough for a little wiggle room for all the first years, and started to float in mid-air. There was an audible gasp as the ship started to rise in the air. Siobhan got Maria's attention and pointed to the back of the ship, and the wizards enchanting it to make it fly. The Ship then whisked its way inland.

After a few minutes, a castle all aglow came into view. It was gorgeous, as the lights seemed to welcome everyone in the vicinity, even the new students. The ship soared around the outside of the school, giving them an amazing look at where they were to live for the school year. There were massive towers, and the battlements were lined with candles. The entire castle was constructed of stone, instead of blocks of concrete, or brick. But, just as suddenly as it had begun, the showing of Crowmist was ending as they landed gently in the courtyard in the center of the school grounds. The brow was lowered and they were allowed to disembark, before the ship took off again for where ever it was headed.

The new students were met by a man, whom Maria recognized instantly as Andrew. "Hello first years, and welcome to your home for the next nine months. I am professor Parris, and I am going to give you a few rules before we head inside. First off, please stay in a single line and try to keep quite as we head through the Great Hall for the sorting, and then dinner. We ask that once you are sorted into your house, you head to the necessary table where you will find your house mates. You will stay within this house for the remainder of your schooling here at Crowmist. Your luggage will find its way to its necessary destination after you are sorted, so you won't have to worry about it. Now, if you would please, line up, and we'll head inside!" Andrew finished his speech, and inconspicuously winked at Maria, as she filed into the line with the other students. They started walking inside, and Andrew started talking again.

"There are four houses; water, air, fire, and earth. Water is blue, Fire is red, Earth is green, and Air is yellow. You'll be sorted into one of these houses by a simple task… meditation." Andrew stopped in front of a massive heavy wooden door clad in iron. Maria took in her surroundings and was flabbergasted. She hadn't anticipated the spectacular sight. The room they had entered had long woven tapestries hanging on the walls, two on each side, with one person on each tapestry. Each one clothed in a different color. Maria assumed they were the founders of Crowmist, being that they each had one of the school colors that represented each of the four houses. The walls were made of rough stone, and the ceiling vaulted high, and was dark at the very tippy top. The wooden rafters were visible, as massive logs that were hundreds of years old. The room was lit by torches, and they illuminated the area very well, despite the room being so large. Soon, they were on the move again, to another door at the end of their current room. The door swung open as they approached it.


	4. Housing of Sorts

**_AUTHORS NOTE:_******_Thank you so much for the reviews! I have taken them to heart, and fixed the flaws in the first few chapters._

_Later on in the chapter with the house elves (I'm not going to spoil the fun…hehe) think of the Harry Potter theme song that's being sung. It will give you some perspective._

_Also: _Ephraim is pronounced E-free-ahm

**_Don't forget to review!_**

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Housing of Sorts

The Great Hall the new students entered was even grander than the last room and much larger. The ceilings, like the last room, were vaulted, but illuminated by thousands of candles sitting in the rafters, all the way to the peak. The rafters were made of thousand year old Redwood trees and even from the floor of the room; you could see the age and the grandeur of just how massive each of the trunks holding the ceiling up were. Each of the walls was covered in finely woven tapestries, each with a different color and symbol, signifying each of the houses of the school. The walls, like the bailey walls, were made of rough stones and boulders. The windows were tall, very tall, with stained glass depicting different scenes of wizards and witches preforming magic. The most profound fact was that the stained glass figures of the windows moved as if they were real people. The great hall its self was lined with four different tables, with each table a sea of green, yellow, red, or blue.

Maria and her fellow classmates headed to the front of the hall where there was another long table clothed in purple, which Maria assumed was the professors table. There were about nine professors sitting at the table, and an elderly woman sitting in the middle, presumably the headmistress. In front of the table there was a chair surrounded by four floating stone bowls. Each bowl had an elemental representative. Earth had a small tree growing from a grassy hill, Water had what looked like a small ocean, Air had a small spinning tornado, and Fire had fire that crackled and snapped with warmth. The first years lined up horizontally behind the chair and the stone bowls.

The elderly woman stood up and commanded attention immediately.

"Welcome students, new and old, to Crowmist. A few announcements before we begin the sorting of the new first years. First off, I would like to let you know Quidditch try-outs start the 15th of September; first years are welcome to try out. Also, we have a new potion's instructor; Maurice Pickett will be your potions master this year. You are to refer to him as Master Pickett, or Professor." There were audible giggles and snickers that rippled across the room from students as they amused themselves over the name of the new potions master. "QUIET!" the headmistress exclaimed trying to regain the attention "As I was saying, Master Pickett will be your new potions master, so please do NOT try to run this one off!" the headmistress glared at a table in particular – the blue table – and continued. "After dinner and dessert you are to go straight to your respective houses, and you will receive your new class schedules tomorrow morning. New students will be given a map to their classes. The caretaker would like me to remind you there is to be no magic in the hallways, anyone caught doing magic will be given detention. The rooftop is off limits, as it is unsafe. With that all said, I will hand you off to Professor Parris, and we shall start the sorting ceremony." There was a round of applause as the Andrew stepped up to take control over the crow. It was obvious that he was well liked amongst the students.

"Welcome!" Andrew boomed. "Our new first years are probably wondering how this is going to work. I will call your name, and you will step up to each of the bowls, put your hand over each of them, and then sit in the chair. Close your eyes and completely clear all your thoughts. We will let you know when it's time to open them.

"As our older students know, Crowmist had four founders. Mizu Ushio represented water, as she founded Nami no To. Magnus Ignus well represented fire, and he founded the house of Infernus Dormitorium. Loft von Himmel was founded by Maggie Luft since she represented air so well, and Coeden Twr Ty was founded by Dewin Daear as he was closest to the earth. Each house is represented by its own color related to their element." There was a brief applaud as Andrew produced a scroll of parchment that had a long list of names. "First up to bat is Autumn Patterson."

A tall girl with long, straight brown hair, nervously approached the chair, hovered her hand over all the elements before sitting in the chair and closing her eyes. It was a few moments of absolute silence before the smell of earth and rustling leaves wafted throughout the hall. There was a burst of cheers from the green table as Autumn opened her eyes and smiled and all the sudden there was a bright shimmer as her purple robes turned an energetic Chartreuse green that matched the robes of her new house.

Andrew called out another name, "Brantley Sullivan."

A boy this time strolled up confidently, as he waved his hand over the bowls and then sat in the chair and closed his eyes. This time, the smell of smoke and the sound of a roaring fire pronounced the placement of Brantley, and his robes shimmered into vivid crimson red, and he joined his house mates. Name after name was called and the students filtered into their new houses.

"Maria Carondolette." Andrew had called her name. It was her turn. She looked at Andrew and he winked, as she wove her hand over each of the bowls, peering into each of them, and then sitting in the chair. Maria closed her eyes and cleared her thoughts. She thought of nothing. Suddenly she could smell sea salt, and hear the ocean along with the call of seagulls. Maria opened her eyes and grinned, she had been placed in the Water house. Maria stood and looked at Andrew, as she smiled. She looked down, and watched her purple robes shimmer into a dazzling cerulean blue, and she headed to her house table. She was patted on the back as she sat with her new dorm mates, and watched as the other students were called and sent on their way to their new dorms.

"Siobhan Flamel." Maria watched as her friend participated in the ceremony, and she heard the familiar sound that associated to her own house. Siobhan's robes turned blue, and she hugged Siobhan as she flounced over and sat next to Maria.

Once the last student was sorted into the house of Air, which was pronounced with a gust of wind that whistled through the rafters and through the Great Hall, the headmistress stood again and commanded attention.

"Now that the new students are sorted, I encourage you to get to know each other and dig in!" there was a unanimous pop and alongside each student an elf appeared with a serving tray. The elves set the trays on the long tables, and there was another pop as each of the elves disappeared in a domino effect down each of the tables. The food had a wide variety from American to the depths of the Middle East, and Asia. Maria spotted the ramen instantly.

Hi, Maria is it? I'm Cale; I'm a first year too!" He said; he had a little bit of an Irish lilt to his voice. Cale loaded his plate with fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

"Hi, Cale, this is my friend Siobhan. Where are you from?" Maria asked as she put a generous helping of barbeque pork ramen in her bowl, and grabbed the chopsticks.

"Irish too, eh, Siobhan? Where does yer family hail from? I was born in Dublin, but moved when I was but a wee lad, to Boston. Me da got a new job with the U.S. Department of Magic. I was supposed to go to Hogwarts this year, but 'cause we moved I had to come here. I wanted to meet Harry Potter, but I guess it won't be happenin' now will it? " Cale asked as he bit into his chicken with a smile.

"We're from Limerick, but I was born in Michigan. My parents went to Hogwarts." Siobhan responded as she took a bite of her corned beef.

"Who is this Harry Potter kid I keep hearing about, Cale?" Maria asked as she shoved a bite of barbeque pork in her mouth.

"You mean you don' know?" Cale asked astounded. Maria shook her head clueless. "His parents were killed by you-know-who—"

"I don't know who that is though. I hear so much about it, but I don't know anything. My parents didn't tell me I could use magic until this summer."

"He was a very bad wizard 'bout 10 years ago. Real name is Voldemort, and he uses the dark arts. He had it out for the Potter's, he did. There was a prophecy that the Potter boy would take down the wizard and he tried to have him killed. Somethin' happened where you-know-who met his end. The Potter boy is famous cause the curse that you-know-who used is one no one has lived from, except Harry Potter. He's the boy who lived. Right legend, he is. If I had stayed in Dublin with me Ma and Da, I woulda been his schoolmate."

"So he's the same age as we are, then?" Maria continued her ramen; it was absolutely delicious as she took another bite of barbecue pork.

"That he is; starts his schooling today, too, like we do. Crowmist and Hogwarts are real similar. Both have four houses, each one after a founder. The only thing is one is based from the actual founders, and Crowmist is based more on which element of nature ye are most in tune with." The three new students continued their dinner as they conversed about this and that thing. Maria explained why her parents hadn't told her about their magic.

"I don't even know if I'm a pure blood." Maria said as she finished her explanation. She was on her third bowl of ramen and getting stuffed. By then most of the other students were finished with their dinner and seemed to be eagerly awaiting something, although Maria didn't know what.

"By the sound of it, you should write your parents and ask." Siobhan mentioned as she put her fork and knife down on her plate.

"You're probably right."

Once all the students were finished with their dinner, there was another loud pop and the house elves returned to take care of their plates and any more remaining food that was on the tables before disappearing once again. Out of nowhere, when all the plates were cleared, another plate appeared out of thin air in front of all the students. There was a loud pop once again, and the elves that had taken their dinner plates appeared on top of the table.

"Attention students." The headmistress called as she stood up. "I am now proud to announce the Dance of Desserts. Our house elves have been preparing for their presentation for a year, and are very eager for you to watch and enjoy." There was a gust of wind and the wind blew out all the candles in the rafters and around the Great Hall. It was completely pitch black. There was a loud tap and a blue shimmer at the front of the room that followed the front of the professors table. It danced to very light music, hummed by the elves in unison, until it reached the end of the table. The music grew louder than a hum – to singing – as the light burst into four different colored glowing orbs. There was one light to each house that made its way down the four tables. Maria noticed that it was the house elves that produced the small light that danced amongst them. At the crest of the song that the elves seemed to be singing, it grew its loudest, as the lights slowly started to rekindle in the rafters. It was apparent that each elf had its own shimmer and dancing ballet. It was the most amazing and orchestrated thing Maria and the rest of the first years had ever seen. The dance was magnificently choreographed as each of the elves flawlessly moved about each of the tables, the illumination weaving as it left a shimmering trail around the elves, as they sang their song and danced.

Everyone was dazzled by the entertainment. At the end of the song each of the lights turned into a different kind of dessert as the lights gently floated down to the table one by one. The entire student body including the professors table erupted into cheers and applause with a standing ovation. The elves then bowed and dispersed with their usual loud pop, and were gone from the Great Hall.

"That was absolutely amazing. Who knew house elves could dance like that?" Maria heard someone down the table say. She looked at the desserts sitting in front of her and wondered how she could possibly eat another bite… but then she spotted the German chocolate cake and decided a small piece wouldn't hurt. As she tried the cake she couldn't help but look around the Great Hall and notice the sea of different colors. She was still in shock of how her life had taken a turn for what seemed the better.

Finally it was the end of the dinner, and the headmistress directed everyone off to bed and to stay with their houses with their house Monitors, and up to their respective towers. Maria was absolutely exhausted. Everyone piled from the Great Hall and out a door that was off to the side, which Maria hadn't noticed before. It was kind of hard that she hadn't noticed because it was a huge door. Once through the door, there was another huge room that had the same stone feeling. It was a long hall way. Along it, there were different stair cases as each of the different houses split from the main group.

"Stay in a singular line, please" Maria heard someone in blue yell over the commotion. They made their way all the way down the corridor to a stairway that seemed to spiral upward. They all made their way up the stairs and finally came to a dead end.

"Alright listen carefully. This year's way to access _Nami no To_ is by wand. Each of you will take turns and put your wand into a small hole in this wall. The first time is for recognition; the second time is for entry. If there is a group of students, only one of you needs to produce your wand." The boy then took out his wand and put it in the small hole, took it out and then re-entered. The wall slit upward and revealed a large opening big enough for two people to go through at the same time. Everyone filed into the great room that was more like a living room. It contained low sitting tables and couches for students to do their homework or to sit and converse with another. There was a large hearth that contained a nice warm glowing fire that crackled. The room its self was clothed with different shades of blue. In the middle of the room, was a female Japanese ghost? The house monitor bowed to the ghost as did everyone else but the first years. The ghost surprisingly bowed back.

"Welcome firs' years. I am Mizu Ushio. Your house founder." The ghost said as it bowed once again to the first years. Maria and the rest of the new students bowed back as what seemed to be custom. The ghost spoke again. "First years are on the very top floor. I hope you like my home, as much as I do." The ghost then drifted through the far wall with a wave and vanished.

Maria was speechless. She didn't know what to think. If her house founder was still spiritually present, does that mean the same for the other houses? All Maria knew was she was exhausted.

"Right. First year females, you are the left stairwell, and the male first years are the right stairwell. Boys are not permitted in the girl's dormitory, and vice versa. I bid you good night. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask."

Siobhan was the first to speak before anyone else. "But… what is your name. You never told us."

"Oh, Ephraim is my name. Good night."

Maria and Siobhan bid good night to Cale before making their way up to their dorm. Once they made their way to the very top, the room was surprisingly large. There were four Japanese floor futons rolled out on the tatami mats. Their trunks and possessions were lined against the circular wall, along with Pounce's carrier. Along the opposite wall, there was a very large storage area with doors that held four small tables for the girls to study at. In the room there were two other first year girls that looked up when they entered the room. Maria crossed the room to Pounce's carrier and noticed Pounce wasn't anywhere to be seen. She assumed her kitten was learning how to hunt mice with the older cats.

"Hello." Maria said to the other girls cautiously. "I'm Maria and this is Siobhan. I guess we're going to be dorm mates."

"Hi. I'm Morgana, and this is Aerwen." The girl with blonde hair and brown eyes said, referring to the other girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. "Well I'm absolutely exhausted, if you guys don't mind I would like to get some sleep."

"Oh I understand I'm tired too." Maria said back with a yawn. Silently all the girls undressed and put their pajamas on. Maria noticed that all her previous purple robes had turned blue. She and the other girls climbed into their futon beds, and were pleasantly surprised at just how comfortable the futons were. It was almost instantly that Maria was asleep, even before her head hit her pillow.


End file.
